Unspoken Love
by KTstoriesandstuff
Summary: This is inspired by the story "Ashes." Pollux wonders why anyone would fall in love with him as an Avox, but all Cressida sees is his character and hard-work. He doesn't have to say a word for her to love him.     BTW the story contains *TWO Engagements*
1. A New Beginning

_Thanks to Indicate for writing the story "Ashes" to start the idea of Cressida and Pollux together! :D This takes place after Mockingjay!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: New Beginnings in District 12<strong>

**Cressida POV:**

I was finally home from filming the numerous celebrations in the districts of Panem. The Mockingjay Revolution was winding down the election of Paylor as president. The new camera crew and I had been on the move for several months first filming the wreckage of the war and then filming the districts efforts to repair the infrastructure. It was exciting because we were witnessing individuals and communities rebuilding their psyches. They were not merely looking to survive, but to rebuild their cultures and integrate themsevles into the renewed Panem.

I was living in District 12's Victor's Village. Having grown closer to Katniss and Peeta during the war, it made sense for me to live near them. "Greasy Sae" and a new girl named Heather were my housemates as the house was far too large for one person. Heather was from district 10 and she was working on how to grow crops in the soil above the coal-mines. Shops were being set up in the town and houses were being built on the outskirts toward the old area known as the Seam. Katniss and Peeta alternated between working on their book and doing their respective activities of hunting and baking.

The air was warm for a typical summer day when I went to town the first week I was back from my several months' long absence. I was picking up some things for the house. Greasy Sae was running a store. She tongue-in-cheek named it The Town Hob after the old Black Market shop. I had filmed opening day before my last tour of Panem. Today I stopped by a newly opened fabric and tailor shop ran by a family from district 8 to pick up fabric for curtains. We'd put them in the living room window.

"Yes, if you could run that line along the far wall, that would be perfect!" The manager said to a workman who was installing an electrical plug and wire. I was standing at the counter as she cut the fabric to my specified length. He turned around to face us and I gasped.

"Pollux?"I asked in disbelief. He grinned. His co-worker came around the corner.

"Don't worry. You'll get your camera man back. He's tagging along with us to District 5 as a consult on a pipeline project and decided to jump in with this one too." I didn't know Pollux had a second job, but I guess it made sense since we had a month with just a few filming projects.

"Well, don't work too hard, Pollux. This is our time off." I chuckled. He gave me a thumbs-up before I left the store. After my errands, I did some video editing until my roommates came home. Heather came in first since Sae had to close her shop. She was outgoing and nearly always chatted with the neighbors before walking through our door.

"Cress, did your camera guy tell you that he's moving in with the Peeta?" Heather asked.

"Nope." I said.

"Yeah. He and Peeta were moving stuff into the house. It was the tall blonde guy with a red beard."

"I think he's just staying overnight on business." I said. "He has another job he's heading out to soon, I think."

"No he's not. Peeta came by The Hob to get wood to make a bed and shelves. It's permanent." Sae said carrying a load of groceries into the house. We began putting them away in the kitchen.

"Oooooh, Cress, you should bring him a housewarming gift!" Heather squealed, her face brightening as she opened the pantry door.

"l - um -" before I could object, Heather shoved a tube of food dye we hadn't found a good use for and dragged me across the street. Sae just laughed. I'm sure she thought us 20 sonethings were insane. Heather knocked on Peeta's door. I gulped and stammered something as Pollux stood in the doorway. He looked back and forth at Heather and I chuckling. "Um - you and Peeta can use this - since you're staying here for a while." I said. I felt my face grow piping hot, and I figured I was beet red. Both Peeta and Pollux were trying not to laugh.

"He's staying here pretty much permanently since he's decided to make District 12 his home district." Peeta explained. Pollux nodded grinning. "Oh - thanks for the food dye! We'll use it on a top secret cake for Katniss."

"Ok. Well - that's good Bye!" I managed to say before taking off across the street to my house with Heather laughing hysterically in my wake.

When we got inside I sat on the couch and covered my face with my hands. "HEATHER! THAT WAS _EMBARRASSING!" _

"I bet he thought it was cute. " Heather replied. "Anyway, you totally got flustered when he opened the door. You like him, don't you?"

"Yeah. But I don't know if it's mutual. I am sort of his boss since I direct the camera crew and set up assignments."

"Well you'll just have to wait and see. Good thing we're all neighbors!"

"Are you ladies done swooning over the young men next door or do I have to put these groceries away and cook dinner myself?" Sae bellowed from the kitchen. Grateful for a distraction, I headed in. Heather would probably rib me about our little adventure for the rest of the evening, but I had to admit it made me laugh.

**Pollux POV**

Did I expect Cressida to show up at Peeta and my door? Nope. Was it a pleasant surprise? _Yes it was! _This was a good sign that I did the right thing in moving. I was content to bounce around with the camera crew for a few months after the war. I picked up the piping contract job so I'd be able to travel with overnight accommodations paid for when I didn't have a reporting assignment. Betee was the one who suggested picking a district as a home-base. My brother and I were born in the Capitol, but there were too many bad memories to make it worth staying. Plus Avoxes were still viewed as second class citizens. If I stayed, I could have received a living stipend so I didn't have to do hard labor to survive. But I decided to relocate to a completely different place to start over.

"So, your plan worked." Peeta said smirking as I closed the door. "You want to live close to her, don't you?" I shrugged. "Yeah you do. You look at her the way I looked at Katniss for - ever." I shrugged again. Yeah I thought Cressida was cute and nice, but I'm pretty sure she wouldn't marry an Avox. She was raised in the Capitol and would have viewed us as slaves at best - less than human at worse. I'm surprised she kept me on the camera crew this long. I was teaching Peeta sign-language which borrowed elements from the ancient American Sign Language. I signed: _Cressida. Friend._ Peeta just winked. "Yeah, that's what I said about Katniss for the longest time." As if on cue, she came through the back door with slices of fresh venison. "Katniss! Thanks, baby!" Peeta kissed her before she went back to her house.

Thankfully, Peeta dropped the subject of Cressida living across the street from us when we fired up the grill in his back yard to barbecue the meat. All I had to do was sign, _Which bread with the meat?_ and he went on a long monologue about how he spiced some dinner rolls to perfectly compliment grilled meat. As we were eating, I briefly wondered what Cressida was eating for dinner. After helping Peeta clean up, I spent the evening reading up on the project I would be consulting on in District 5. Work was a nice distraction from most anything.


	2. Surprises

**Chapter 2: Surprises**

**Cressida POV**

A week after I got back, Peeta had asked if our house would help us throw a barbecue in Katniss' honor. Of course, Heather and Sae said yes. The only catch was that we had to keep it a surprise. I chuckled. Keeping a surprise from a two time Hunger Games victors would be difficult indeed. Heather and Sae would be part of the cooking crew. One of my jobs was to collect flowers. As I was beginning a garden in front of my yard, that was a nice pretense.

The morning of the barbecue I actually was planting some of the flowers that had been taken out of the meadow when I felt something nudge me on the leg. I jumped and turned. Buttercup was staring at me. "Are you locked out?" I asked him. I reached out toward him, but he backed away. I went over to Katniss' house and knocked on the door. There was no answer. Buttercup was still watching me. Suddenly he mewed and pounced at something to his right. He was in hot pursuit of something on the ground, but I didn't see anything. _Maybe he spotted a bug._Someone chuckled and I looked over at Peeta's house. Pollux was in the front yard luring Buttercup in with a flashlight. He would sometimes zig-zag the light at odd intervals as he was drawing Buttercup toward the house. As Buttercup's feet skidded to a stop after running to the side, the rest of him flopped over. I couldn't help but laugh. Buttercup pounced on the little spot of light that finally landed on Pollux' shoes. He whined as Pollux picked him up. To my surprise, Pollux didn't get a claw across his face. "Nice tactic." I commented. Pollux nodded his thanks. He closed the door. A few minutes later, the door opened again. Pollux came out with a note that he pinned to Katniss' door.

Sae and Heather came over to help Peeta prepare the food and set up the house when they got off work. It seemed like half of the district was invited. "Ok, everyone!" Peeta said calling everyone into the living room. "Katniss will be home in about ten minutes, so we should all hide." Sae hid in the kitchen, Other people hid in closets and in the bedrooms. I went to hide in the downstairs bathroom, but Peeta beckoned me to stay in the living room.  
>"She likes talking to you, so you're a nice distraction. Besides, you and Pollux haven't had a chance to hang out much." Peeta explained. Seconds after I had plopped myself on the couch, Katniss walked in the door.<p>

"Peeta?" She called.

"Yeah?" Peeta asked from the kitchen.

"When did Pollux become friends with Buttercup?" She asked suspiciously. Sure enough, Buttercup was curled up in Pollux's lap. Unbeknownst to her, Pollux had been befriending Buttercup to lure him to Peeta's house. Peeta bit his lip. He knew Katniss was on to something. Pollux grinned and began signing toward Katniss. I translated:

"Buttercup reminds me of the twins Castor and I had. I just couldn't resist playing with him as you were kind enough to leave the door open for him."

"I - left the door open? I'm sure I locked it this morning." Katniss said confused.

"The back door, hon." Peeta said. "Buttercup wandered over here for a bit of fun."

"Haha. Fun the _whole day?_" Katniss said rolling her eyes. She had Buttercup in her arms as he jumped off of Pollux's lap after he realized Pollux's hands were occupied with signing rather than stroking his fur. "And how did you guys entertain him? I'm sure you didn't have a flashlight party the whole time I was gone."

"Nope." Peeta grinned. That opening was brilliant. "This party's just beginning!" He said loudly. Katniss groaned seconds before people started coming out of nowhere.

"We can still pull surprises on you, sweetheart!" Haymitch chuckled as he stepped out of the wine closet. He uncorked a second bottle of wine and set it on the table. Sae and Heather set out a buffet of roast venison, fresh vegetables, and a wide sampling of dinner rolls with varying spices and oils baked in. About 40 guests sat around two long picnic tables in Peeta's back yard.

"And what would a party be without a cake? Peeta, bring it on out!" Haymich called as the sun was nearly down and the dinner platters inside were well cleaned out. We were all nearly bursting with food, but Haymich and Peeta had reminded the crowd to save room for cake. Peeta brought out a large platter. Everyone was held in suspense. Haymich took the lid off as Peeta got down on one knee in front of Katniss. Everyone gasped and stared at the magnificantly frosted and shaped cake. The cake was a ring frosted to look like a real silver ring with a glistening diamond at the top.

"Katniss - our lives are truly ours to live now. Will - will you live your life with me? Would you marry me?" Katniss was speechless. We were all holding our breaths.

"Do I have to eat this cake or somehow wear it around my finger?" Katniss asked after a long pause. She grinned a bit and winked at him. Peeta stared at her blankly. "Of course, Peeta!" She laughed. Everyone cheered. Peeta reached into the frosting and pulled out a real ring and after wiping it off, put it on Katniss' finger. Heather and I were screeching and the other guests were laughing or crying or both.

"Let's kiss - there are no cameras watching!" After what seemed like ten minutes, they finally surfaced for air. Most of the women in the crowd 'awwed' and were misty-eyed. Marriages were up now that the revolution was over and people were more hopeful about the future. I briefly wondered if marriage was in my future as we congratulated Peeta and Katniss.

**Pollux POV**

Peeta and Katniss' _real_ engagement was the talk of the town and eventually the rest of District 12 for two weeks. That also meant Peeta basically lived at Katniss' house and Katniss basically lived at our house. Sometimes I felt like the third wheel, but I would find something to occupy my time like learning about new filming techniques or following up on some old piping projects from my other job. It was still fun hanging out with Peeta (and by extension Katniss), but I was happy when the film crew was given a two day assignment in District 6.

"We're sending a massive supply of bicycles out to the districts." The manager of the bicycle factory said. "Dunno why the Capitol was so stingy in forbidding the ordinary citizen to have one." He shrugged. "Now, you've ridden before, correct?" He asked Cressida who nodded. He picked her because she wasn't suited up in camera gear like myself and our newest cameraman, Mark.

"Yeah. When I was eight." Cressida quipped. "I think I can still go a few paces for you, though." I chuckled to myself. _Always being humble._ I thought with a smile. She hopped on the bike and slowly started pedaling.

"Where do you want to go?" The manager asked her.

"Oh - down the street, I guess." Cressida said shrugging. She started down while Mark and I followed. I pulled glasses that gave me a view of what my cameras were seeing and it was a good shot. I pulled them off of my face as Cressida started down a hill. "Oh - haha - I didn't know about the hill - AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" She yelped. I was vaugely aware of someone else yelping as I ran to help her. She swerved to try and stop herself and ran headlong into some trash cans outside of a warehouse. At the sound of the bins tipping over and her falling off the bike, all I could think about was her injuring herself on discarded bits of dirty metal that were now strewn on the ground.

"Whoa! Whoa - you ok there?" The manager asked. Cressida was on the ground but sitting up. Thankfully she didn't look too injured.

"Um - I think my pride is injured more than anything else." Cressida said trying to laugh. I helped her to her feet and instinctively pulled her close to me.

"Well - uh - I guess you won't be letting your boss on a bicycle any time soon, will you?" He asked me. I chuckled and shook my head.

"May I add that citizens would do well practicing well away from the main streets." He added.

"Thanks." Cressida said. "I think that's a wrap." She sighed. "Good thing that wasn't live."

"Yeah, or else you'd be the talk of Panem for a bit." Mark said. "Um - Pollux, I think she's ok, man." I realized I was still holding her tightly. _I know._ I signed. I probably looked as embarrassed as I felt. I let go of her and insisted she turn around slowly so I could make sure she wasn't injured. Nodding, I picked up the bike to wheel it back a short distance to the factory. I rode bikes with Castor well into high school, but I didn't want to hop on and ride it back in case Cressida thought I was trying to show her up.

**Cressida POV**

Wow! Yeah - that was SUPER EMBARRASSING! I agreed with Mark. If that was being broadcasted live, I probably wouldn't be able to live that down. As we went around District 6 and filmed other modes of transportation they were making accessible to the districts, I noticed Pollux was being somewhat protective of me. Not in an overbearing way, but I noticed that he would hold my hand when we would first go into a factory and he would put an arm in front of me when we went by moving machinery to make doubly sure I was a safe distance away. I guess he was more shaken from my fall from the bike than I was.

Heather was watching me edit the footage on my portable computer in the living room a day or so after we got back. "Nice one, Cress." She chuckled watching my spectacular fall. "Aaaaaw! This is from Pollux's camera, right?"

"Yeah." I said hoping my face wasn't as red it felt.

"He's helping you up - go to Mark's footage!" I clicked around on the screen. "Cress, he's totally smitten for you!" She squealed. "He's all protective for the rest of the time!"

"Who's smitten?" Peeta asked from the kitchen. He was over teaching Sae how to make some dinner rolls. I was obligated to show him the clip of my bike fail. "Yup. He only talks about you almost all the time at home." he added grinning.

"WHAT?" I yelped. Peeta was laughing so hard he had to sit down on the other couch.

"Seriously, it wasn't obvious to you?" Peeta asked once he got his breath back. I paused.

"I know he's a good co-worker - but - I guess we never discussed feelings much." I admitted.

"Well, anyone would know he's practically screaming it from the way he treats you." Peeta said grinning. With that, he went back to the kitchen leaving me to ponder my thoughts. I will admit, confirmation from several people that Pollux probably liked me was a pleasant surprise indeed.


	3. Getting to Know You

**Chapter 3: Getting to Know You**

**Pollux POV:**

Two day after the shoot, Cressida invited me over we could go over the final cuts and program. "Well, it looks like we can submit it and expect it to air next week." Cressida said. I nodded. She typed a quick email to the people in the Communication Department in the Capitol. "Oh - um - Pollux?" She asked. I raised my eyebrows. "Um -" She paused. "I forgot if I thanked you for helping me - you know - after my bike fail, but um - thanks." I smiled.

_You thanked me. I watch out for you._ I signed giving Cressida a mischievous look. She laughed. Even though I have been an Avox for ten years, there are still times I wished I had my voice back. This was one of them. I wanted to say it in a half playful half serious voice. I felt like I could never tell her everything I really wanted to say through signs.

"Are you ok?" Cressida asked noticing I probably had a distant pondering look on my face.

_Thinking._ She smiled.

"You're good at thinking. If you need anything, let me know." I nodded. "Oh - by the way, how are you adjusting to living in Twelve? I don't know if I asked you that." Cressida asked. I paused and thought about it.

_It's getting to be closer to home._ Cressida nodded. I fiddled with a wound up cable on her desk in what we called our District 12 Headquarters which was really her home office. Peeta had suggested to open up more to Cressida if she asked me questions that didn't pertain to work. This would help her get to know me.

"Um - would you like some tea or anything? Heather made extra." I nodded. We went downstairs to the dining room. Sae was at the dining room table working on some accounting stuff from The Hob. "We won't bother you if we sit here, will we?" Cressida asked.

"Oh no - go on." Sae said. "In fact, I'd love to invite this strapping young man to dinner tonight." Sae smiled at me. I willed myself not to blush and was failing. Cressida was also blushing.

_Thank you._ I mouthed. I sat down and Cressida brought tea for both Sae and me. _Living with Peeta is nice. Living across from you is nice too._ I signed after Cressida sat down. She smiled.

"I'm glad you found a place where you can settle in." Cressida said. "I admit, I was wondering how you'd lug around all your stuff if you were always on the go with this job or your other job."

_I don't have much stuff._I signed shrugging. I sipped my tea slowly.

**Cressida POV:**

Heather told me to try and talk to Pollux about more than work. To my surprise, I enjoyed chatting over tea. I realized we were friends even though I was his boss. My heart sank a bit when he told me he didn't have much stuff. Even in District 13, he only had his District 13 clothing and what he needed to film "Well, you probably don't have a whole closet of shoes like some women do." I quipped.

_Two closets._ Pollux signed shaking his head in disgust. _I cleaned a house of a woman who had two closets of shoes once._ I raised my eyebrows.

"Well - I never went overboard with that stuff. I was too busy collecting electronic trinkets." Pollux smiled. He mimed taking a picture. "Yeah - I had about five different cameras as a kid - not all at once - but - in succession." I suddenly felt flustered. Here I was gloating about what I had to a former slave of the Capitol where I had lived for so long. "I - I guess - even that was a bit much." I admitted.

_I grew up in the Capitol_ too._ We all were a bit excessive._Pollux signed. He smiled reassuringly and reached over toward me. He put his hand on top of mine, and I smiled trying not to stare bug-eyed at him as the electricity from his touch shot up my arm. _Castor and I collected movies. We also had a video-camera._ He grinned slyly. _My first video shoot was when Castor and I secretly filmed our neighbor doing a terrible purple-dye job on her hair._ Both of us started laughing. _We were 11._

"I bet that must've been _hilarious!_ Did you ever show her?" I asked.

_I put the video chip in an envelope and put it in her mailbox._ We chuckled some more and I high-fived him. _I should go start dinner._ Pollux signed.  
>"Ok - well - if you want - I made - ground beef stew." I paused trying not to blush. "Um - it's up to you."<p>

"Yeah, Cress got carried away and cooked _tons!_" Heather said coming through the door. I restrained myself from chucking my tea-cup at her. My roommates wanted me to confess my undying love to Pollux ASAP. "So pull up a seat."

_I need to see if Peeta was planning on telling me anything during dinner._ Pollux signed. _The tea was very good._

"See you soon!" Sae called as the front door closed.

"So, better get the plates out and make the table nice for your _dinner date!" _ Heather squealed.

"HEATHER! He's eating with _all of us_ I don't think it constitutes a _date!_" I yelped.

"Close enough." Heather said. I opened my mouth to protest when the door opened again.

_Am I still invited?_ Pollux asked. I nodded. _Peeta and Katniss were there and I would've just been the third wheel._

"Well, four's company!" Sae said once I got done translating. "Pull up a chair!" I pulled out my stew grinning to myself. I had planned having Pollux over for dinner since he had casually mentioned that Katniss had began eating over at Peeta's house more. "Wow - everything literally melts in your mouth." Sae said. "Cress let this soak for most of the afternoon." She explained. We passed around the mashed squash. Suddenly I wondered if Pollux could sense that I cooked everything especially for him to swallow easily and I wondered if that made him feel weird.

"Well, I'm terrible at estimating how long stuff needs to cook, and so I didn't want to be serving dinner at midnight." I explained. That was also true.

"Yeah, once we had breakfast for lunch - unintentionally of course - because Cress forgot that the cinnamon rolls had to rise." Heather pointed out. Pollux laughed.

_This is very good._He signed as he took second helpings of everything.

**Pollux POV:**

Dang. Cressida can _cook! _Sure, I figured that she made easy to swallow food for me, but I didn't take it as pity. I was sort of flattered that she would do that. Looking back, I realized back in 13 when she would order rations for us on missions, she made sure we had some soup of some kind or mashed potatoes with vegetables or meat in side them on hand. Castor and I would split the stuff, I think so I wasn't the only one eating them. I did eat regular food at the dining hall, but it was nice having effortless food on the go. Sae and Heather had started to pick up on my signs, because Cressida didn't have to translate for me the whole meal. Though around her friends, I can still get a bit shy and not talk as much. We finished the meal, and I tried to help clean up, but her roommates insisted Cressida as the cook and I as the guest should relax in the living room while they tidied up.

**Cressida POV**:

I tried to find something to talk about while Pollux and I let our dinners digest as we hung out in the living room. Pollux kept on smiling at me which would make me mildy flustered and giggly. I finally settled on breaking out the checkers that were in a box under the coffee table. Soon we were engrossed in a game. Seeing as I was still distracted, Pollux beat me spectacularly. I giggled and tried to supress a yawn as he moved his last piece to my end of the board. _I should go to bed. I work my piping job tomorrow._ Pollux signed.

"Ok." I said. "Thanks again for staying for dinner."

_Thanks for cooking. You're amazing._ I smiled.

"I - well - thanks." I stammered. Pollux gave me a quick hug and I walked him elbow in elbow to the door. "Um - come by soon? Just - to visit?" Pollux eagerly signed yes before walking across the street to his and Peeta's house. I could hear my roommates snickers as I kept the door open until he was well inside. I'd yell at my roommates later for teasing me, but right now, I was too much in a giddy mood to think of anything else.


	4. A Close Call

**A/N: **This is where things begin to get interesting :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: A close call<strong>

**Cressida POV:**

Pollux dropped by for dinner two more times within the month. During the last dinner, I informed him of a new project where we'd do an update on District 3. People were trying to liven up the drab areas around the factories by putting in little shops and painting the buildings. They had dug a canal to go through the area firstly for water run-off and secondly to make it a bit more scenic.

After the video shoot, Pollux, Mark, and I were sitting outside an ice-cream shop called the Waterfront Creamery. "Well, I thought that went well." Mark said. Pollux and I nodded. "So, boss, since we worked the weekend, what weekdays do we have off?"

"Dunno. Monday and Tuesday. I think we have another assignment on Thursday." I pulled out my electronic planner and tapped the screen until I got to the calander. "Yup."

"Oh goody!" Mark cheered. "Hey, Pollux, you want to come to Eleven? My brother's getting some friends over to have a barbeque."

_Maybe._ Pollux signed. We turned as we heard two kids laughing and giggling by the canal.

"Connor! See if it works!" Two boys about eight years old had a boat that looked homemade.

"Those kids better not have open wires on that boat." Mark said aloud.  
><em>They won't get zapped too bad, I don't think.<em> Pollux signed chuckling. _Plus, they probably know more about wiring than us._

"I remember tinkering with stuff as a kid." Mark said.

"So did my brother." I reminisced. Pollux raised his eyebrows wanting to know more. "Mostly, he would put things on string or wires and string them down from our balcony." I explained. "Scared the wits out of our neighbors when he took a squid out of the refrigerator and dangled it-"

"CONNOR!" One of the boys screamed in horror. As in slow motion, we watched the brown haired boy wobble from his knelt position and fall face first into the quickly moving water of the canal. Pollux jumped up and sprinted past the boy. I realized he was going a ways downstream to try and catch him. _Pollux must know how to swim from working in the drains for so long._ I reasoned. Still, I feared for the little boy.

"Mark, come on!" I called. I ran after Pollux. Mark ran into the Creamery I assume to tell the people inside to call for help. I caught up to Pollux as he pulled off his shoes and jumped into the canal. The boy - Connor was trying to keep his head above water. Pollux swam toward him and held his hands out. Connor latched onto Pollux and they both went down. Someone was screaming Pollux's name in a terrified voice. Then I realized that was me. Pollux surfaced holding the boy who was clutching tightly to his neck and shoulders.

"There they are!" Two construction workers came around the corner. They had a long rope and a plastic bucket. "Catch!" One of them tossed the bucket tied to the rope toward Pollux and Connor.

"GRAB IT, POLLUX!" I yelled. Pollux helped Connor grasp onto the bucket and rope. I could see he was loosing strength quickly. Connor turned back to Pollux who shook his head and pointed toward us. Connor inched his way up the rope to make room for Pollux. When he turned around, he, the bucket, and the rope were the only ones above the water.  
>I was vaugely aware of Mark and the other construction worker holding me back. I was screaming, but I don't think I was making sense. "Cress, you can't go in and get him." Mark said. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He said over and over as I wept.<p>

"There he is!" One of the construction workers yelled suddenly. He tossed the bucket. "GRAB ON, MAN! We got you! Just grab on!" Pollux was signing frantically.

"They got the kid out, Pollux!" Mark called. "We're saving _you_ now!" I knelt down on the ground still sobbing but now out of relief and fatigue. The three men hauled Pollux in. By this time, the rescue vehicles had come and rescue workers were tending to Connor.

"You're out, Pollux. It's ok." Mark said kneeling by Pollux who was on all fours gasping. He coughed up water as rescue workers came over to him with a blanket. I ran over to them.

"You're ok - Oh Pollux, you're ok!" I cried grasping his hands in mine. A part of me was chiding me for still crying and carrying on. But another part of me never wanted to let go of him ever again.

"We're going to have to take you to the hospital just to check you out, sir." One of the workers said. Pollux nodded. "Do you hurt anywhere?" Pollux shook his head. "Are you sure? Does it hurt to talk? You haven't said anything."

"Um." I paused. "Pollux can't talk." I explained to the rescue team. "He can sign though. I'll translate." I said quickly. Pollux looked at me gratefully. "He's a little dizzy, but he can probably walk." I began translating. "He still feels like he swallowed some water. He's worried about getting contaminated - slow down a little, Pollux - contaminated by sewage waste."

"Oh yeah. No, that's not a sewage canal. That wouldn't be too scenic." One of the workers quipped. "Well, do you want to come with all of us?" He asked me. "What's your name by the way?"

"Cressida."

"Would you want Cressida to come with you, Pollux?" He asked. Pollux nodded eagerly.

Once we were at the hospital, I noticed Pollux getting more nervous. I squeezed his hand reassuringly as we waited for a doctor to come to our exam cubicle. We hadn't broken our grasp since getting on the ambulance. "Pollux?" the doctor asked looking in." Pollux nodded. The doctor was a middle aged man with a full head of grey hair and a mustache. "Dr. Fraiser here. Nice to meet you." Pollux smiled as they shook hands. "Now, I'm just going to look at the back of your throat there and listen to your lungs just to make sure you don't have any residual water in there. Another doctor came in. "This is Dr. Rowe. She's our pulmonary intern." He explained. "She's going to be helping me out today. Dr. Rowe, you want to record his basic stats there and we'll get started?" She wrote down some numbers that were on a monitor that was attached to a probe clipped to Pollux's left index finger. Dr. Fraiser listened to Pollux with a stethoscope. "Yup. There's a little bit of water left in there." He said. "That would explain why you probably feel short of breath." Dr. Rowe brought a cart over to the bed as Dr. Fraiser elevated the head of Pollux's bed a bit more.

"We're going to have you breathe in some medicine and give you something to help your throat relax. Then we'll get that liquid out for you." I noticed the beeps coming from the machine increase in speed. Pollux started breathing more heavily as he heard the doctors arranging their instruments on their cart.

"Pollux, what's up? Are you feeling worse?" I asked worriedly. Pollux squeezed my hand in a vise-like grip. Suddenly, I realized he wasn't thinking about this current procedure, but of another time he was faced with a doctor doing some sort of procedure - a horrible procedure of torture. "They're here to help you, Pollux." I said hoping I sounded reassuringly. "They don't want to hurt you." Dr. Rowe handed him a mask attached to a machine that contained some sort of medicine. I helped Pollux hold it to his face.

"I've done this once before, so there should be no problems." Dr. Rowe explained. "Everyone gets a bit nervous before procedures, don't worry."

"You're doing really well, Pollux." I said.

"Ok, I just have to give you some numbing medication here." Dr. Fraiser said calmly. He uncapped a hypodermic syringe. Pollux looked at it then balked. He tried to get off the stretcher, but the rails were up.

"Pollux -" I was trying not to sound scared but failing. "Pollux - they're not - _those_ doctors." Pollux shook his head and tried arguing with me, but all that came out were terrified sounds.

"Oh - right." Dr. Fraiser said as he realized why Pollux was so scared. He put the syringe down and motioned for Dr. Rowe to step back from the bed. As Dr. Fraiser took several steps back, Pollux began to calm down. "So, I take it you've had a pretty terrible experience with doctors before." He said conversationally. Pollux bit his lip and looked down at the sheets.

**Pollux POV:**

_A pretty bad exprience with doctors before - oh yes, Dr. Fraiser. I would never wish my brutal drawn out surgery minus anesthesia on anyone. Well - maybe former President Snow since he ordered it after all. _I thought. I stared at this Dr. Fraiser and his assistant. I nodded slowly. "Well, tell you what. We can give you a sedative that will help you relax. Really, all we want to do is get some water out of your lungs so it doesn't turn into a raging infection. What do you think?"

_Just don't knock me out completely._ I signed slowly. Cressida translated. _Can she stay?_ I asked pointing to her.

"Certainly." Dr. Fraiser said. "I figured you two were a team." He asked his assistant to get some sort of medication. She returned with a large needle-less syringe. "Now, I'm going to have you open your mouth just so I can take a look-see here to make sure you don't have any oral injuries." I opened my mouth. Dr. Fraiser hummed to himself as he looked around the tongueless void. I was relaxing around him. He seemed like a nice guy. "Ok, well, Dr. Rowe here has some medication she'll squirt in your mouth. She'll go slow so you have adaquate time to swallow.

_Thank you._ I signed. Dr. Rowe gave me the medication. I felt Dr. Fraiser wipe something cold on the back of my hand before I felt a prick. I gave Cressida's hand a squeeze.

"I'm right here for you, Pollux." She said. I nodded. I felt a bit hazy and was surprised at how quickly the medication was working. I could still hear Dr. Fraiser chatting with all of us as he approached me with a long suction type tube. He was telling a story about unclogging a drain which I suppose was amusing. I got out a bit of a chuckle before he put it down my throat. The doctors' voices drifted in and out of my hearing. At some point Dr. Rowe had me breathe in more medicine. I heard a suctioning noise somewhere and Dr. Frasier sounding like he was directing Dr. Rowe in the procedure. The only things that kept me grounded and calm were the warm grip that Cressida and my hands formed, and her soothing voice in my ear. I felt the whole bed moving before dozing off.

**Cressida POV:**

I helped the doctors push Pollux's bed into the recovery area of the ER. We were in a small curtained-off cubicle. Only while watching him peacefully sleep did I allow myself to cry again. I had nearly lost him, but gained a new realization. He wasn't just a good friend and co-worker. He was the one I truly loved. I pushed some hair out of his face and kissed his cheek. He lifted his hand to feel around for mine. _Stay_ he finger-spelled into my palm.

"I will." I said. I pulled down the railing and climbed onto the bed. After pulling the covers around him and making sure he was comfortable, I lay down next to him and pulled the railing back up. I left a trail of kisses on his cheek and down his neck as he dozed off again. "I love you." I said before I felt my eyelids droop. **  
><strong>

**Pollux POV: **

I woke up with something tickling my neck. Looking over, I saw Cressida's head on my shoulder. Upon closer inspection, she was laying next to me, her leg draped over mine. I was holding both her hands. I smiled. Today I realized how much I needed - wait- wanted Cressida. She's a good friend, but when I felt myself drowning as I rescued that kid in the canal, I realized that on top of the pain of watching me die, she would have the pain of never knowing if I loved her. She was the reason I kept on swimming even though every part of me wanted to black out. _I love you too._ My fingers were too tired to fingerspell it into her hand, so I just gave her a squeeze. She deserved to have a nap after this afternoon.

As I was peppering her face with kisses, Mark chose that moment to pull back the curtain to the small space separating my bed from the other patients' quarters in the ER. "So they _finally _let me back here - oh - sorry." Mark stamered as I felt Cressida stir. "I guess you've been in good hands this whole time. " I started laughing as he blushed a nice dark crimson.

"You guys! Why didn't you wake me up? " Cressida asked groggily.

"Aw, because you both looked adorable." Mark said grinning as she opened her eyes.

"How are you doing? " She asked me.

_Good. _Mark put down the railing so Cressida could climb out of bed. The curtain was whisked open again and Drs. Fraiser and Rowe were back. _Thanks, guys. _I signed.

"That's why we're here." Dr. Rowe said smiling. Dr. Frasier took another look and listen to me before handing me some discharge instructions.

"Oh good, we don't have to spend the night in here." Cressida said happily. "Thanks again." She and I shook hands with the doctors before they left.

_We still have time to go to a nice restaurant. My treat._ I signed. Cressida's jaw dropped. _Consider this our first date._ Mark pretended to be interested in a sign on the wall while I enveloped an eager Cressida and kissed her soundly before we walked hand in hand out of the hospital.


	5. In it for the Long Haul

**In it for the Long Haul**

**Cressida POV**:

"Cress, it's safe now." Heather said.

"I know, Heather, but - I - I still don't like being here." I said gulping. Sure, no one tapped the phones anymore, saying that over a phone would have been unthinkable if not grounds for severe punishment several months before. Especially in the Capitol itself. We were filming more rebuilding efforts two months after our return from District 3.

"Well, you have Pollux to help you now - I'm sure he can say something that can help." Heather said gently.

"True." I said. I hung up and sighed. Editing the video we shot today of more rebuilding wouldn't help. In fact, in my delusional state, I might accidentally delete something important. I tried to read my book again and even do a crossword puzzle in the Panem Daily News. Nothing was working. Images of the last battle in the Capitol continously marched through my brain. Heather was right. I should at least try and ask Pollux for help, and not try to handle everything by myself. _He was there too. He remembers everything just like you_. A voice in my head said. _You just might need each other._

I grabbed my hotel room key and went several doors down. I knocked on the door and waited. Pollux opened the door. Even though it was nearly 11:00pm, he was still fully dressed. "Pollux - um - may I come in?" He nodded. He gestured for me to sit on the bed. He sat down beside me and took my hand.

_Memories? _He asked. I nodded. _Castor? Mesalla? _I nodded again. A sob escaped my lips. I tried to choke it back, but it was useless. Pollux wrapped his arms around me. I leaned into him and wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my head in his neck. His body shook with silent sobs. After a while - no idea how much time, we pulled apart briefly. _You should stay here._ He pulled back the covers and gestured to me. As I was in my pajamas, I just slid under the blankets. Pollux hummed to himself and I quickly averted my eyes as he stripped down to his boxers. He slid into bed next to me.

"Thanks for letting me stay." I said softly. He kissed me gently and pulled me closer to him.

_We're safe. I love you. _He said simply.

"I love you too." I whispered. I stared at him, and he was giving me this look as if he was waiting for me to fall asleep - which I figured he was. I closed my eyes and at least tried to relax. In Pollux's arms, that was surprisingly easy.

**Pollux POV**

Cressida is in my bed. Wait. That just sounds wrong. No, not like THAT, but it is still somewhat accurate. The only awkward moment was when I changed sort of in front of her. Obviously in Peeta's house I have a room to myself, so it doesn't matter. But working in the Capital, I shared a dormitory with 19 other male Avoxes. We walked around in our briefs / boxers around each other. I guess it became habit. Whoops!

I looked down at Cressida relaxing or at least pretending she's asleep so I can sleep. I kissed her gently on the forehead again. I was just mustering up the courage to go over to her room when she came to mine. I knew both of us would have a rough time coming back to the Capital because of the last battle of the revolution. I shut my eyes tight and shook my head to try and pull myself out of those horrible memories. Cressida sighed and moved around some more. I opened my eyes and smiled. Focusing on her made the memories go away. I watched her eyelids flutter, but remain shut. I grinned as she repeated this several times.

Who knew that watching someone else sleep would be entertaining? _Asleep yet, are we?_ I finger-spelled into her hand. She rolled over and playfully smacked me in the chest. I chuckled. Both of us dozed on and off during the night. I must've drifted off into real sleep because I was awakened by a knock on the door.

"Pollux! It's me, Mark! Cressida wasn't answering -" I pushed a button on the nightstand that would unlatch the door without me having to get out of bed. Mark sauntered in dressed and ready for the day. He skidded to a halt when he saw us half-asleep in each other's arms. "Seriously, guys?" Mark asked staring at us. I saw Cressida's face turn crimson, and I knew I was blushing too. "Alright, well, I want a raise since we'll only be reserving two rooms when we travel places now." Cressida raised her eyebrows. "I'm joking, boss! I'm joking!" He laughed. "You guys are cute together. See you downstairs in an hour."

**Cressida POV**

The day didn't drag on as much as I thought it would. We filmed more city blocks that were rebuilding and we all cheered with the crowd while filming the demolition of Snow's mansion. Pollux kept on hinting about a surprise later on in the evening. We all ended up dining at a really nice restaraunt (Pollux's treat to everyone), and then we took an evening stroll along one of the avenues lined with shops. Pollux stopped me and pointed to something. There was a blinking light on the side of one of the buildings. Instinctively I grabbed for his hand and squeezed it. _Not a pod. Don't worry._ Pollux reassured me. The blinking light flickered and suddenly words written with bent lit wires illuminated the side of the building. I gasped. Pollux bent down on one knee and looked at me expectantly.

I gaped at the lighted words that read: **Cressida, will you marry me? **before looking down at Pollux. I was speechless and held out my left hand. He put a ring on my left finger and we kissed. After several minutes we finally became aware of half the street (egged on by Mark) cheering and hollering for us. "Betee!" I called. Beetee came down from a ladder. "I know you're here!"

"Congratulations, you two!" Betee said grinning. I looked down at the simple yet beautiful ring and hugged Pollux. We were in it for the long haul and I couldn't have been more thrilled.


	6. Anticipation

**A/N: ** I posted this chapter on the 26th, but made some minor changes for clarity :) Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6: Anticipation <strong>

**Pollux POV:**

"And now I pronounce you man and wife! May I present, for the first time in public Mr. Peeta and Mrs. Katniss Mellark! " Everyone cheered as the district magistrate finished the formal ceremony in the town square of District 12. Katniss was wearing a simple white sundress with a reddish orange sash. Peeta wore a nice suit._ Nice tie._ I thought. _New mission: must find an awesome wedding tie._

I looked over at Mark who was their photographer. He winked at me right after Cressida leaned over and kissed me as the crowd began the procession down the street to the Coal Cafe which was a new restaurant. The dining area was reserved for the Mellark wedding. The east wall had a fireplace that had a good strong fire blazing. It was a pretty sweet venue, and Cressida had it on her list of seemingly endless possibilities of venues. I had told Peeta that I was glad he was first at tying the knot. "Whatever ideas you steal - ahem - I mean borrow from Katniss and I, just make sure you give us credit." Peeta had joked once.

_Deal._ I had told him. We sealed the deal by splitting a six pack of Haymich's Seam Brew which was his homemade beer.

"Alright, Mellarks! You know what to do!" the cafe owner boomed in a jovial tone once the crowd had all managed to squeeze into the dining room with the Mellarks close to the fireplace. Everyone watched in anticipating as he handed them two polished wooden sticks, each with a slice of freshly baked bread. Everyone cheered and cried once the toasting ceremony was complete. After that the fiddler from Finnick and Annie's wedding began playing. I gulped._ Just my luck, my first dance with Cressida is in front of half the district._ I thought. _But if you were still in the Capitol, you would never be able to dance with her. Ever._ I told myself to man up and then walked over to Cressida who was gushing with Heather about the wedding thus far.

"Hi, Pollux!" Cressida said cheerfully. She was dressed in a shimmering blue dress that was simple for the Capitol's standards but extraordinarily beautiful here. Her hair was now long enough to be partially pulled back with a barette.

_May I have this dance?_ I asked before holding out my hand. Cressida blushed and she and Heather giggled.

"Of course." Cressida said as Heather let out an 'awww!' I hoped my hands weren't too sweaty, but she didn't say anything as she took them. Drudging up memories from Castor and I learning basic dancing as part of gym class in junior high, I began dancing with my fiance. Luckily the music was upbeat so I could really just bounce around and no one would think anything of it.

**Cressida POV: **

"You're not bad." I said once we had danced to the first few songs. Pollux blushed and tried to act like the fast dancing was making him flushed. I was glad he had failed to notice or point out that I nearly tripped over my shoes several times. Everyone was enjoying themselves. After an hour of dancing, Pollux and I sat down at a table bordering the dance floor.

We were taking a break to watch Peeta and Katniss teach the kids in the newly opened Primrose House one of the District 12 dances. Two months before the wedding Katniss had moved her things out of her house so it could be converted to a rehab focused home for children who had lost their parents in the war. A few Capitol children were there, but most were from the districts. Seeing this wedding was a really positive thing for them.

I felt a tug on my dress and looked down. A little girl with light red hair who looked about five years old was rubbing the fabric of my skirt between her hands. I had worn a simple dress that most citizens in the Capitol would wear to a restaurant. Much of my Capitol formal wear would look terribly out of place for a district wedding - even a wedding of two victors. The little girl seemed captivated by the way my fabric shimmered. "Oh, do you like that blue fabric?" I asked. The girl looked up at me wide-eyed. "What's your name, dear?" I asked gently. She pulled away. "Oh, it's ok. You're shy aren't you?" She made a little noise. Pollux noticed her and waved. He smiled and held his arms out toward her. She approached him cautiously before crawling into his lap and making herself comfortable. He moved his leg in time to the music and clapped his hands.

She laughed as she bounced on his leg and pointed to the other kids. "Do you want to dance with the other kids?" I asked. She shook her head. "That's ok. You have a good view here." Every so often Pollux would gently nudge the girl and point to one of the other children that was looking their way. He would give a small wave which the little girl would imitate. She made more noises and pointed to the kids. Pollux set her down and she immediately held her hands back up whimpering. Pollux pointed to himself and then signed _dance?_ "Do you want to dance with Pollux?" I asked. I repeated the sign. "Dance?" She allowed Pollux to pick her up. He nodded eagerly toward me to join him. I held back tears that were threatening to burst out of my eyes lest the little girl thought something was wrong. My heart was melting because Pollux was so darn cute with her. We traded off holding her a few times and she played with the fabric of my dress as I held her.

I began to feel a heaviness on one of my shoulders during the fourth song the three of us had danced to. "Oh my gosh! She's asleep!" Heather said coming up to us. I looked at my shoulder. Sure enough, the little girl's head was resting on my shoulder. "We're about ready to send the Mellarks off, and the kids are going to toss potpourri."

"She's a shy one. We haven't found out her name." I said grinning. "Oh, she can't talk." Pollux raised his eyebrows. "She was found buried under rubble with a pretty significant head injury. We think she can't talk because of brain trauma." Heather explained. Pollux moved closer to her and gently stroked her hair. It was then I noticed a scar running up the left side of her head above her ear. He kissed her on the forehead and gently rubbed her back. "It's sad, but she's made a lot of progress. A month ago when she came in with most of the other kids, she would just sit in the corner and cry." Heather said. It was only then that I realized tears were streaming down my face. I cleared my throat and wiped my face with my free hand. The little girl stirred. She sat up in my arms and turned her head toward Heather and made eager sounds toward her. "Hi, sweet girl! You made new friends, huh!" Heather asked her. She smiled at Heather. "We're about to throw the potpourri to make it smell nice! Do you want to help me?" The little girl held out her hands toward Pollux. "Do you want Pollux to come with you?" Heather asked surprised.

"I think she'd protest if you said no, Heather." I quipped. Pollux held her as I helped Heather and the other Primrose House staff distribute the potpourri to the other kids. The crowd formed two lines facing each other. The kids tossed the dried flowers in the air as the Mellarks walked through the aisle the crowd formed. We were all cheering as they headed toward their new home above the bakery.

_Good job._ Pollux signed to the little girl once he put her down. "You did such a good job." I said to our little friend who was raptly watching Pollux sign. The little girl wrapped her arms around Pollux's legs and gave him a hug before going with Heather and the other Primrose House children. I suddenly realized my feet were really sore from all the dancing, especially dancing while carrying a child. I didn't wear my old ridiculous Capitol heels, but, I probably didn't wear the proper footwear for the kind of dancing I did. Sitting down on a bench outside the cafe, I took my shoes off and winced looking at the blisters.

_What's wrong?_ Pollux asked looking concerned.

"Oh, my feet just need a rest before we head home." I said.

** Pollux POV:**

I talked to Mark for a few minutes and he showed me some shots on his digital camera. When I returned to Cressida she was massaging her poor feet. I put a hand on her shoulder and shook my head sympathetically. "Oh - well - I'll just soak my feet." Cressida said cheerfully. "We'll just have to walk slow, ok?" I smiled before reaching down and picking her up. She wasn't going to try and walk even an inch on her blistered feet. "POLLUX!" Cressida yelped. "I don't think I need to - mmff!" I leaned down and kissed her to stop her protesting. She was so darn cute, especially when she was trying to act like she didn't need any help. Sometimes she would wiggle around trying to get me to put her down. I'd just tickle her in return causing her to squeal in protest amid giggling. We made it back to Victor's Village where we lived. I deposited Cressida on her doorstep.

_Can you walk in your house?_ I asked. Cressida nodded taking a step and wincing.

"I'm fine, Pollux. Really. Thank you." Cressida said smiling.

"I'll help her." Sae said chuckling standing up from the couch in the living room. "She won't go upstairs untill she's made sure you've gone to your house, you know." I laughed. Yes I knew. It was another thing I thought was too cute about Cressida. We and kissed our goodbyes before joining my new roommate Mark in Peeta's old house.

I couldn't stop thinking about that little girl we danced with tonight. I grinned. It was weird thinking that I'd one day be the father of Cressida's children. Yes, the wedding was still a few months away, but still. I did think about our future kids sometimes. One thing I worried about before Cressida accepted my proposal was how the heck I as an Avox would help raise a child. Avoxes never had the opportunity to have children as marriage for us was forbidden (that is until the revolution), but I guess I just figured that since we can't talk, we couldn't do as good of a job communicating as a person capable of speech could. Yet here was this little girl who just picked us two out. Ok, maybe it was because Cressida was wearing a shimmery Capitol dress, but the little girl kept wanting to stick with us - stick with me. Did she somehow know I was an Avox somehow or was she just happy she found someone else who uses gestures and sounds rather than spoken words to communicate?

The little girl worked her way into my dreams. She was in a meadow tossing flowers into the air and laughing. Cressida sat down and spread out a picnic lunch. She was wearing her blue shimmery dress and the little girl climbed into her lap. She signed,_ Mommy cook!_

_Yes, she did! Good food!_ The little girl laughed as I fed her half a sandwich. She squealed as she saw birds flying from tree to tree. Cressida started humming and the birds began humming as well. I woke up and my fingers really were in the process of spelling, _mockingjay_.

Looking out my window, I realized I had slept in a bit. As I fixed breakfast, I could almost picture Cressida and the little girl at the table giggling and me signing to both of them as I was cooking. I knew that I'd have perhaps a bigger adjustment than most guys when they get married because of my Capitol imposed limitation, but last night with Cressida and I both dancing with that little girl, I finally was able to realize that this whole having a family thing would not be unreachable or impossible for me.

**Cressida POV:**

I secretly wondered if Heather and Sae got tired of me going on and on about Pollux and the little girl we met at the Mellark wedding. "I really think she likes him because he signs." I said over dinner a week after the wedding.

"You know, I was teaching them a song about a garden when we were planting the vegetables in the back yard and I'm pretty sure she signed 'dance.'" Heather said. She was on staff to help the kids begin their own garden. "She did this." Heather made the motion.

"That's it!" I shrieked. "Oh my gosh! Pollux taught her how to sign!"

"Well -I don't think she picked up _everything_ he said, but I'm sure she picked up a word or two." Heather said grinning.

"Isn't that _so cute_?" I asked for probably the millionth time.

"Yes. It is. Every time you talk about it." Sae said. I blushed. "I'm teasing you, girlie. It's precious."

"Maybe - and I've been talking to the other staff - maybe Pollux can come over more and teach her signs." Heather suggested.

"Can we adopt her after we get married?" I blurted out. I gasped and put my hands over my mouth. I didn't want to ask in case an aunt or grandparent came to Primrose House to claim her first. Yet I had dreamed about her being our flower girl the night after the Mellark wedding, but those dreams (and daydreams) quickly progressed into Pollux and I being her parents.

Heather just smiled. "Well, the director would probably like that idea - especially if the whole learning to sign thing works out. We haven't been able to find any of her family." I was giddy as I ran over to Heather and gave her a giant hug.

"Wow - We're going to be a family!" I gasped. "It's really going to happen!" I paused. "I mean - I know we're all going to have to adjust and I'm going to have to adjust to - you know - living with two people that communicate in different ways than I do - but - I love them so much - I love that little girl already and - and I know Pollux does too!"

"You all are going to be cute together." Sae said. "_Sickenly_ cute, but yeah. You, Pollux, and that little girl." Of course I burst out crying but in a good way. I knew life would stabilize and fall into a new routine after the war,but I never dreamed that life would be this good and exciting.


	7. Introducing Cassie

**Introducing Cassie**

**Cressida POV:**

I walked into Primrose House and after signing the visitor's log, I went to the playroom. Several children were drawing pictures with a staff member. Another adult was helping a child with leg braces sit on a large ball. Pollux smiled at me from a little area set up like a miniature kitchen. Our little red-haired friend ran up to me and handed me a little plastic milk carton.

_Milk! Milk!_ She signed.

"Yes, Milk! Did you give Pollux some?" I asked. She giggled and handed him a little cup. "Pollux, are you ready for our meeting?"

_Yes._ Pollux signed to me. _Let's go. We're talking to Miss Causey. _He signed to the girl. She finger-spelled _Miss Causey_ and he ruffled her hair as they walked down the hallway to the director's office.

"Thanks for coming, Cressida and Pollux." Miss Causey said smiling as the three of us took seats across from her desk. The little girl crawled into Pollux's lap. "So, we need to decide about names for our little princess. We have no documentation of her name, and she hasn't finger spelled it to anyone. We've tried, believe me."

_I know._ Pollux said. If anyone could have gotten her to sign her name, it would have been him in the two months he had been coming to the house.

"Have you thought of any names?" Miss Causey asked.

"Well - we were thinking of Cassie Melissa." I said slowly. Pollux nodded. He bit his lip. Cassie was a feminine form of Castor and Melissa was a bit of a variation of Mesalla. "She'll be named after - a very dear friend and Pollux's brother."

"Well, that sounds very nice." Miss Causey said smiling before addressing her small charge. "Princess, Pollux and Cressida thought of your new name! It's Cassie." Pollux spelled it out and pointed at her. Her eyes got wide and pointed at herself again before finger spelling Cassie. He laughed before wrapping her in a hug.

"Yes! Cassie! That's you, honey! That's you!" I couldn't help it, I was crying. "Come here, honey!" Pollux passed her over to me. I held her on my lap and held her in my arms. Cassie stared up at me wide-eyed as tears streamed down my face. "Cassie, we're going to visit you a lot, ok?" She nodded. "And you can visit us in our home too!"

_Yes!_ _Play with Pollux._ She signed before giggling.

"Cassie, go get your snack, ok? Then Pollux will play with you for one more hour." Miss Causey said. Cassie nodded and hugged me before running off to the playroom. "Now when do you two plan to take her to your house?"

"Probably a month after we get married." I said. Sharon smiled. We filled out the adoption paperwork and signed the identity certificate that now had Cassie's name on it. True to our word, we spent another hour with Cassie before leaving.

We were halfway down the street when I burst into tears. Pollux pulled me to himself and hummed a soothing tune as he rubbed my back. "I - I wish Castor - and Mesalla could see this little girl they're named after -" I sobbed. "We're going to be a family, Pollux - I'm so happy - but - I'm - sad - I'm - I'm just all mixed up." I felt Pollux's body shaking with silent sobs as well. He gestured to a bench in between some houses and we sat down to have a good cry in each other's arms. "Sorry." I said sheepishly after a while. The sun was going down indicating we had been sitting for a while.

_Bittersweet._ Pollux signed before kissing my forehead. I nodded._ You'll be a great mother._

"You'll be a great father." I said. Pollux grinned sheepishly. "She has you wrapped around her finger, but you know that already." He looked back toward Primrose House and grinned. He reached down and put his hand on my stomach. "Pollux! We're getting one kid at a time!" I squealed blushing, realizing what he was thinking about. He jokingly pouted but I could hear him holding back chuckles.

The next two months were a blur. I spoke with the mayor and reserved half of the town square for our wedding. We of course spent a lot of time with Cassie visiting her at Primrose House or letting her spend dinner or an afternoon at either my or Pollux's house. I was fixing my house to use the basement as a video editing and production studio as well as turning some of the extra bedrooms into office spaces. Pollux was teaching Cassie how to sort and coil cables. We were still working as a part-time freelance production crew and part-time Department of Communications crew. About a month before the wedding, we decided to let Cassie have an overnight at my house.

**Pollux POV**:

I was humming to myself as I assembled a bed-frame that was painted pink. Cressida was at the florist finalizing her wedding bouquet. The phone rang and I answered it. I put it in Talk and Text mode where I could hear the caller and they would hear a synthesized voice saying what I typed back on a keyboard.

"Hey, this is Plutarch, your long lost communications chief! Is Cressida available?"

_Not at the moment. This is Pollux. May I take a message?_

"Well, you sort of have to since she's your boss _and_ fiance." I laughed. "Listen, we're thinking about running a special and we really need Cressida to come to the Thirteen over the weekend to discuss the programming. Could you have me call her when she gets here?"

_No problem._ I replied. I cringed. Cressida would have to leave the night we were planning on having Cassie stay over at her house. I wrote a note for Cressida telling her to call Plutarch before going back to building Cassie's bed to take my mind off of things.

My old fears of being unable to care for Cassie because I'm an Avox came flooding back. Sure, I helped her learn sign language and took her for outings, but at Primrose house I had the staff if I needed and Cressida has always been with me when we have taken Cassie somewhere.

"Pollux!" Cressida opened the door to Cassie's room. I turned around from my work and raised my eyebrows. She looked flustered. "I have to leave in a few hours." I gulped. "I called Miss Causey, and she said she still wants Cassie to do the overnight. I guess they have a child who needs emergency housing and she's taking Cassie's place for the weekend."

_Ok._ Cressida put a hand on my shoulder reassuringly. She knew I was nervous._ I wish you could be here too._Tears came to Cressida's syes.

"I - I'm sorry - I'm crying." She said wiping her eyes. "I - I just - I guess - I just wanted to do the overnight too." Cressida said sniffling. I went over and put my arms around her. "I - I hope I don't - I mean - I don't want to sound jealous." I shook my head. "I know you'll do great with her. I'm not worried about you at all."

_I'll call you if I need you._ I told her. Cressida went to her room and packed her stuff. I walked her to the train station and waited. I made her close her eyes and then placed a small picture in her hand. She looked down and gasped. It was a picture I had taken of Cassie in the playroom the day we signed the adoption papers.

"Oh - thank you -" Cressida hugged me again before getting on the train. I smiled, but I was feeling nervous. I would be collecting Cassie en route to Cressida's house. Before I knew it, I was in front of Primrose House.

"Oh, hi!" One of the staff said hurriedly. She had an infant in her arms and a toddler clinging to her leg crying. I could hear other staff members directing the kids as they cleaned up the playroom. "Cassie's ready. You can go into her room. We're just getting her bed stripped for the new girl." I nodded. "Sorry it's so hectic." I shrugged and smiled before going upstairs. Cassie was sitting on her bed. It was a toddler size bed with a light pink mattress. It would have had light green sheets on it if they weren't being washed. Her bed was in the middle of four other little beds.

_Hi, Cassie._ I signed.

_Pollux._ She finger-spelled grinning. She grabbed a folded up dress that was on the end of her bed and handed it to me. _Home._

_We're going home. One night. Then come back at dinner tomorrow._ I explained. Cassie hugged me around the legs and held her arms up making pleading noises for me to pick her up. I chuckled. I signed her out and took a notebook that had her progress notes in it. We went down the street to Cressida's house. I set Cassie down and she tore through the living room giggling and making excited noises. She peered into the dining room and then in the kitchen. Her eyes widened and she started to look worried.

_Cressida. Where? _She signed.

_Away._I signed. _Work._ She looked sad. I held up a finger and then went into her room. I came out with a little flower barette Cressida had bought earlier. I put it in Cassie's hair and took her to the downstairs bathroom. She giggled as she looked at herself in the mirror.

_Pretty!_ She signed while squealing. I took her upstairs to her room. I hung her other dress up in her closet and showed her the small dresser and table that were in the room. Miss Causey didn't want us to get her a lot of stuff before her adoption since many of the other children in the group home had very little personal belongings. She didn't want Cassie to get singled out by having more than the others.

Dinner was an easy affair as Cressida had prepared a casserole for Cassie's overnight. Cassie enjoyed eating it and I laughed watching her get about two-thirds of the dinner in her mouth and the latter everywhere else. We had bought child-size silverware for her, but she still found that difficult to manage. After dinner, she asked for a bath. I took her to the bathroom and filled the tub with some bubble bath I found in the bathroom cupboard. I didn't know how hot to make the bath, so I made it pretty lukewarm. Cassie was impressed by the bubbles and would point to them gasping. _Bubbles. Lots of bubbles. For Cassie._ She squealed. I helped her climb in and began washing her face and hair. She giggled and splashed the water. _You're a little fishie in the water! _

_Fish! _Cassie signed laughing.

_Here comes the towel, little fish!_ I signed as I got a towel to dry her off. After she got into her pajamas, she went into her room and picked up a picture book that was on her little table. She pointed to it eagerly. I pointed to her bed and she crawled in. I sat on the floor and began pointing to pictures and signing what they were. When I noticed her eyelids drooping, I kissed her goodnight and closed her door.

Rationally, I knew she would be ok, but I suddenly was reluctant to go downstairs and clean up the kitchen. I just wanted to stay outside her door to make sure she was ok. I chuckled to myself. I guess I was protective of her just like I was with Cressida. Perhaps even more so because she was obviously smaller and she would soon be my daughter. That was a weird feeling. Good but weird feeling. Eventually I did make it down to the kitchen and tidy up so Cressida wouldn't come home to a dirty kitchen. After writing in her progress notebook about how she did during dinner and her bath, I checked on her after an hour. I smiled as I watched her sleeping form.

Soon I was engrossed in reading a manual for a new video camera when I heard a bloodcurdling scream. I nearly broke down Cassie's door even though my study was right across the hall from her. When I flipped on the light, I saw Cassie tangled in her sheets thrashing around and wailing. _What is happening to my little girl? _I thought frantically. Other terrified sounds were filling the room and I realized they were coming from me. _You have to be strong, Pollux._ I bent down and Cassie clung to me literally with a white-knuckled grip. She was wailing and buried her face into my shoulder. I untangled her from the sheets and sat down next to her bed.

_Bad dream._ I signed. _You're safe now._ _Safe now_. I kept on signing that until she began signing it back. _Yes._ She had a look in her eyes that I knew all too well. It was the look of someone who desperately wanted to voice their fears, but was unable. She began sobbing again and I rocked her back and forth while holding her. Tears came unbidden to my eyes. _Why?_ I thought. _Why must this little girl - my little girl suffer such terrible nightmares? Why couldn't she be spared the horrors of the war?_ Eventually she cried herself dry. I began settling her back into bed but she resisted and clung to me. _You're ok. Bed safe._ I signed. Ever so slowly, she released her grip on my shirt and I lay her back down and tucked her back in. I turned off the light but the whimpering started as I closed the door. I gave her what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only several minutes before opening the door again.

_Stay. Please stay. Safe. Stay._ She was signing to me. I picked her up again and we went to Cressida's bedroom. The first thing I noticed was that Cressida had a comforter with large flowers adorning it complete with matching sheets. _Flowers!_ Cassie signed making a happy noise while pointing to the bed. I chuckled to myself. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd be sleeping in a flowery bed to comfort a little girl who was soon to be my daughter.

_Yes. Flowers. Cressida likes flowers._ I explained. I lay her down and lay down beside her. _Note to self._ I thought. _Kindly suggest new sheets for our bed for after we're married._I stay awake long after Cassie fell asleep. I would drift off before I'd feel her move or make a small noise. At one point I actually did fall asleep.

I became aware of a little hand on my cheek. I woke with a snort which was followed by a little finger prodding me up my nose. I sat up and looked at Cassie. She was looking at me wide-eyed. _Good morning. I love you. _I blinked back tears of joy. She was so cute.

_Hungry. Milk? _ Cassie replied. I laughed and got out of bed. I tickled a small foot that was sticking out from the blankets.

_Help in kitchen, please. _Cassie giggled and followed me downstairs. I held Cassie on my hip and let her stir the hot cereal and milk mixture in a pot on the stove-top. She was supposed to do some fine motor activities such as grasping as some areas of her brain that controlled her limbs were still healing. Soon Cassie and I were at the table eating breakfast when the door opened. Cassie let out a squeal of delight and jumped down from her chair. I chuckled as she left a trail of hot mash behind her.

**Cressida POV:**

I was so happy to be home early in the morning as opposed to spending another day in Thirteen. Plutarch had his meeting late in the meeting and we got everything done. I opened the door and was met by a small squealing ball of energy that was dripping hot cereal off her face. "Pollux!" I called. "I'm home!" Cassie was pulling on my pant leg. "Hi, Cassie! Were you eating breakfast?" I asked looking down and smiling.

_Breakfast! Pollux cook!_ Cassie signed giggling.

Pollux came into the living room and we hugged. "I missed you." Pollux's lips met mine. Just then, Cassie began tugging on my arm in earnest and her noises sounded more demanding. "And I missed _you too._" I said picking her up. "If you two left any breakfast for me, I would love to join you!" I quipped laughing as Cassie kissed me on the cheek plastering the side of my face with cereal. Pollux laughed hysterically and pointed at my face as I sat down. "Thank you, _dear._" I said to him as he went to the kitchen and got me a bowl of hot cereal. I grinned looking around at the table. One day very soon, we would be sitting together like this every day as a family.

After breakfast, we decided to just go about our regular routine. I was running low on bread, so we stopped at the Mellark bakery. Cassie tagged along alternating between walking with us and riding atop Pollux's shoulders. Aside from going to the Mellark wedding, neither of us knew how much of District 12 Cassie had seen. We went into the bakery and the first thing Cassie saw was the display of cakes with elegant frosting designs. She squealed and pressed her nose up against the glass. "Hi there." Peeta said cheerfully from the table behind the display shelf. He was working on decorating another cake. "Those look good, huh."

_Pretty! Look pretty! _Cassie signed while made happy noises.

"Cassie, do you want to watch Mr. Mellark decorate that one?" I asked. She nodded eagerly. I held her up and she watched Peeta work. "He paints those cakes with frosting." I explained. Pollux was at the cashiers' counter chatting with Katniss. She handed him a loaf of bread and a bag that had butcher paper sticking out of the top of it. I grinned. _I guess I'm getting fresh meat today._ I thought chuckling to myself. We left and went to The Town Hob and got some random odds and ends. I chuckled when Pollux gently told Cassie, '_Not today. Later_.' to Cassie as she would pull him over to an aisle to look at everything from buttons to drawing paper to ribbons to candy. I stopped at the Coal Cafe to discuss catering for our wedding while Pollux and Cassie went back to the Mellark bakery to take another look at Peeta's cakes.

As I watched them looking at the window, I wondered if I would be as close to Cassie as Pollux was. I knew she trusted me, but I also knew that they had a special bond as two people navigating the world using alternate means of communication. Pollux wondered how he would do as a father, and I knew that he would do wonderfully. I wondered if years from now Cassie would ever tell me that I didn't understand what life was like for her. I wouldn't know exactly, but I hope that I could try my best to understand.

"Ok, Pollux, Cassie, are we ready to head home?" I asked. Cassie tugged at my hand grinning. "What do you need, honey?" She signed C-R and then put her hand to her heart. "Is that my sign?" I asked. Cassie took her other little hand and wrapped my hand around hers as she signed the same thing again. With both of her little hands, she put my palm over her heart. I smiled and tears came to my eyes. "Oh - Cassie, that is a beautiful sign! I love you too, honey!" I picked her up and held her tightly. Pollux came around and wrapped both of us in a hug.

"Ok, lovebirds. Knock it off! You three are officially sickenly cute." Sae repremanded jokingly as she came out of the Mellark bakery with several bags of dinner rolls. She winked at us as she made her way to The Hob. We all chuckled - well, Pollux and I did. Cassie had fallen asleep in my arms. We walked home and Cassie finished her nap in her room. After she woke up, we walked her back to Primrose House in time for their dinner. She gave us a small wave before sitting down next to one of her friends in the dining room.

"I can't wait for her to come home for good." I whispered to Pollux as we left. He hugged me and smiled.

_I know. We both love our little Cassie._


	8. The Rest of Our Lives

**The Rest of Our Lives**

**Cressida POV: **

"CRESSIDA GET UP! YOU'RE MARRYING POLLUX TODAY!" Heather squealed running into my room and bouncing on the end of my bed. I sat up and promptly joined her in squealing. This was obviously the last day she, Sae, and I would be roommates. Sae was moving above The Hob and Heather was moving into another house with some of the other Primrose House staff. Heather and I were hugging each other squealing about all this when we heard a knock on the door.

"And now all of Panem knows it's your wedding day thanks to your squealing!" Sae managed to say above our squeals. She had opened the door and leaning against the frame trying to keep a straight face. "When you two are done, I have breakfast ready!"

We came downstairs and ate some fruit and goat cheese. Sae was beaming, while Heather was nearly as giddy as I was. Today was the day! Sometime after noon I would call Pollux my husband! I never dreamed that this day would come.

We made our way to the Town Square. The Mellarks were letting us use their house above the bakery as a prepping area. My bouquet was in a vase in the windowsill of the living room. Peeta was still in the bakery putting finishing touches on the cake. Katniss came out of the bedroom with our dresses. Heather was my bridesmaid. She had a lovely forest-green dress that had flowers embroidered on it. Katniss began braiding her hair in elaborate braids. "So, are your nervous?" Katniss asked me grinning.

"Yeah." I said. "It's weird! I'm excited - but - nervous!"

"Because today is the first day of the rest of your life." Katniss replied grinning. "It's - like standing in the cylinder before they lift you up into the arena. You sort of know what to expect, but on the other hand, you have no idea what's ahead of you. Of course - with getting married you're getting into good things instead of a bloodbath." We laughed.

"Wow - you did a really great job with Heather's hair!" I gasped. Heather had two braids from her hair that framed her face that were pulled back. The rest of her hair was also braided in numerous braids before being pinned up in a loose up-do. Katniss had secured several flowers in Heather's hair.

"Oh - wow!" Heather gasped looking into a mirror I held up for her. "Your turn!" She giggled getting up from the chair. I sat down.

"Weird! I can see your vines when I pull your hair up!" Katniss remarked. I blushed. Even though my hair had grown out, I still had my tattoos on my scalp from my Capitol days.

"Do you - do you think Pollux will think that's - weird?" I asked suddenly.

"No." Katniss said simply. "It's just you. Besides, he knows they're there anyway. Peeta has weird patches of hair on the top of his feet, but that's just him. I _totally_ thought it was weird when I first saw it, but now we laugh about it." We all burst into giggles. Katniss twisted half of my hair into a bit of an up-do and then curled the rest of my hair into loose curls.

The two ladies helped me into my dress. It was a light cream color that had straps coming down into a 'sweetheart' shape. I had a forest green sash that gave the dress an empire waist. The sash had the same flower embroidery as Heather's dress. The rest of the dress was a loose skirt that came to my ankles. I had simple cream colored flats as shoes. Katniss taught me some District 12 dances in those shoes to make sure I wouldn't have mega-blisters after the reception. "Oh my gosh!" Heather and Katniss gasped. Katniss got me my bouquet to complete the outfit.

"Wow. Pollux is going to cry when he sees you." Katniss sighed. "Of course, in a good way. But be prepared. I made Peeta put some handkerchiefs in his pocket of his suit." I nodded grinning. Peeta was Pollux's best man.

"Ready?" Heather asked. It was 11:45 am. She looked out the window into the town square. Sae had helped set up the area where the ceremony would be held. People were sitting on benches that created a center aisle facing a small podium where the magistrate would perform the ceremony.

"Oh my - the whole district's out there." I gasped.

"More like a fourth of it." Katniss clarified chuckling. "Cressida, once you see Pollux, nothing else will matter." She assured me grinning. We walked out of the Mellark bakery and to the back of the seating area. Katniss nodded to the fiddler who began playing a slow but sweet tune.

"See you after the wedding." Heather said winking. The crowd clapped as Pollux and Sae walked down the aisle since she had agreed to be his escort of sorts. Heather walked down the aisle with Peeta before they split off to their respective side. I felt a familiar tug on my skirt.

"Hi, Cassie!" I said quietly looking down at my flower girl. Miss Causey smiled at me behind her. Cassie was dressed in a miniature version of my dress with a higher neck that was a simple round shape. "You look pretty!" She giggled and cooed while pointing to my flowers. "I like my flowers too, and you have your basket don't you?"

"Ok, Cassie." Miss Causey said. "Let's put the flower petals down for Cressida, ok?" Cassie giggled.

_Pretty! Pretty flowers!_ She signed before toddling down the aisle while scattering her petals. I couldn't help it but let out a small 'aww.' Several small hands in the first row of seats waved to her as she took her seat next to her housemates. The fiddle player started playing the Cannon in D and I knew that was the sign to begin my walk down the aisle. True to Katniss's word, when I saw Pollux standing by the podium waiting for me, everyone else faded away.

**Pollux POV: **

Even if I could talk, I would have been rendered speechless as I saw Cressida walking down the aisle toward me. She was smiling and absolutely radiant. Peeta handed me a handkerchief as tears were already streaming down my face when she was only halfway down the aisle. She stood by me and took my hand. Through my tears, I caught her eye. She blinked back tears as well and smiled. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered here for the marriage of Cressida Wilson and Pollux Smith." The crowd cheered. "They have helped immensely in rebuilding our community. We celebrate their lives becoming one today. Cressida, do you take Pollux to be your husband until death do you part?"

"I do." Cressida said smiling.

"Pollux, do you take Cressida to be your wife until death do you part?"

_I do!_ I both nodded and signed. We took a moment to sign the marriage certificate that was on the podium. The magistrate signed and stamped it before addressing us and the crowd again.

"I now pronounce you man and wife according to the laws of District 12 and of Panem." The magistrate said grinning. "Pollux, you may kiss your bride!" The crowd cheered as we thoroughly enjoyed our first kiss as a married couple. Five minutes later, we came up for air. The crowd was still cheering. "May I present, for the first time in public, Mr. Pollux and Mrs. Cressida Smith!" The fiddler began playing an upbeat happy tune as we walked - no - nearly skipped down the aisle.

The crowd followed us to the Coal Cafe. "I have the fire all ready for you guys!" The owner called out. I grinned. Cressida was giggling and waving to literally everyone. We were handed polished wooden sticks that had C & P and the date engraved on them. Peeta put a slice of bread on each of our sticks. I met Cressida's eye as she held my hand. We toasted our bread and then fed it to each other. The bread nearly melted in my mouth and I nodded my thanks to Peeta. I had barely swallowed my bread when Cressida leaned into kiss me again. Of course, I obliged.

**Cressida POV: **

_OH MY GOSH! I'M MARRIED TO POLLUX! FINALLY!_ "Pollux, I love you!" I gasped when we finally broke away from our post-toasting kiss.

_I know._ Pollux signed grinning. He backed up and held out his hand. _May I have this dance? _I laughed. It was exactly what he said at the Mellark wedding.

"Of course, my dear husband!" I quipped. We danced our first dance with everyone clapping to the music enthusiastically. As other people began dancing, I felt a tug on my dress. "Hey, Cassie!" She giggled as Pollux scooped her up in his arms. "You did such a good job!" She reached out to me. Pollux scooted in and we danced with her holding onto both of us for a few songs. To our surprise, she kissed us each on the cheek. We laughed and held her closer peppering her with kisses in return.

"Ok, guys! It's cake time!" Peeta wheeled out our wedding cake. It was a three tiered cake with elegant white frosting. Green frosted vines that sprouted a variety of frosted flowers circled the cake. Everyone gasped in amazement at his handiwork.

"Oh wow - this is amazing, Peeta!" I gasped.

"My treat." He said grinning. Pollux stared at it and then grinned.

_Well done, sir!_ He said to Peeta. They clapped each other on the back.

Pollux and I both grasped the spatula to cut the cake. We cut ourselves two slices and fed them to each other. Pollux grinned at me before we kissed yet again. I felt something moist on my nose. When we pulled apart, he chuckled and pointed to me. "POLLUX!" I gasped. I wiped a bit of frosting off my nose and tried to wipe it on his face. He dodged me before sucking the frosting off my hand with his lips. "Oh my goodness! You're ridiculous!" The crowd laughed again.

_So are you!_ Pollux replied. _Ridiculously cute! _

"Right!" Peeta said in between laughs. "Now, that the bride and groom have finished trying to decorate each other with cake, the rest of you can dig in!" He would dish out the cake to the guests. Miss Causey helped the Primrose House children line up. Cassie came up to her and pointed to us. Miss Causey nodded and she stood by us. I smiled at her.

"We love you, sweet girl." I said to her. She was the first one that received a a child-size slice of cake. As she held onto both Pollux's and my hands, I smiled and blinked back tears. Today was the first day that we really were a family.

**Pollux POV: **

We guided Cassie to the Wedding Party table. Katniss was saving a place for Peeta. Heather grinned and waved at us. "Peeta did awesome on the cake, Katniss!" Cressida said hugging Katniss.

"Yeah - he started working on designs as soon as you called to tell me you were engaged." Katniss explained. Cressida nodded. Katniss's eyes widened in surprise before she chuckled at the little girl playing with her hair. "Hi, you must be Cassie!" Cassie giggled and cooed at Katniss. I smiled at Cassie before she crawled into my lap after I sat down. "She's as cute as a button, Pollux."

_Just like her mother._ I replied winking at Cressida as I said it.

"Pollux - would you stop?" Cressida giggled, her face bright red. She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

"Aw come on, guys!" Mark called from somewhere in the crowd. "Give us a real one!" We kissed for real before digging into our cake. I tucked a napkin around Cassie's neck so she wouldn't get her dress messy.

_Love Pollux! Love Cressida!_ Cassie signed.

_I love you too!_ I signed to Cassie before kissing her. I grinned. Today I had a wife and a daughter that I loved with all my heart. Today was the first day of a future that was better than anything I could have imagined.


End file.
